Ashley River Tower
cafeteria
A coworker of mine heard that the ART cafeteria will begin staying open
until midnight in September. Any truth to this rumor? Answer: The
ART cafeteria will be open until 11 p.m. Monday through Friday,
hopefully by the beginning of August.

Cafeteria
Any possibility of having an employee-only payroll deduction line for
the cashier in the cafeteria?Answer: The
cafeteria will reinstate the cashless-only register line in July.

Fish tank in the
Children’s Hospital lobby
After visiting the fishtank, I noticed that the puffer fish
appears to have a growth around the throat area. Should the puffer fish
be transferred to another tank? Answer: The
fish tank is managed by a contract service which checks the water
quality and the health of the fish. They frequently check the fish and
remove those which are not thriving in the tank.

Harborview Office
Tower gate update
The Harborview garage exit gate has been repaired. This gate had
recently been rewired for the new exit control system; one wire was
found to be out of place causing the gate to periodically cycle instead
of opening and closing normally. To report any parking equipment
malfunctions, contact Mike Bouissey, Parking Maintenance Supervisor, at
303-8640 or the Office of Parking Management at 792-3665.

Large cars in small
car only spaces
I’ve heard that university officers are no longer allowed to ticket the
high-profile and full-size vehicles that park in “Small Car Only”
spaces in the employee parking garages. Answer: There
is no truth to this rumor. Public safety officers and parking
enforcement officers routinely enforce parking regulations when they
are observed.

Cafeteria sanitation
concerns
I have noted poor sanitation practices occur in the university hospital
cafeteria on multiple observations. How can this be corrected? Answer: All
of the cafeteria staff are trained in proper food sanitation practices.
The cafeteria was recently inspected by South Carolina Department of
Health and Environmental Control and The National Sanitation Foundation
and in both cases, received scores of 99 percent out of a possible 100
percent. If any customers witness something they feel is
inappropriate from a service or sanitation standpoint, they should ask
to speak to a manager immediately and report it.

New blue isolation
gowns
Why did the medical center switch to a different blue isolation gown?
The new ones unroll less conveniently and rip more easily. The ties are
also far too short to wrap around even a thin person’s waist. Answer: The
change in gowns was made as a result of concerns voiced by the users of
the gowns. The previous universal sized gowns were judged to be too
small for many larger staff members. They additionally did not fit into
isolation caddies in an appropriate manner. Several vendors responded
to a request to evaluate new gowns. The product evaluation committee
made the determination that the new gowns were more appropriate in
correct sizing and the quality of old and new gowns was not
distinguishable. The new gowns were approved by infection control and
also fit the isolation caddies as required. Questions about products
can be addressed to Linda Poulos, product evaluation nurse, at 792-5784.

Faculty
I hear that all MUSC faculty will be effectively clocking in according
to the new 3/24 Human Resource policy. Answer: The
new policy requires non-classified employees (which includes all
faculty and some non-faculty employees) to record only their
utilization of leave time on a bi-weekly basis. It does not require
recording the times of arrival and departure from work.

Weight control
services ads in The Catalyst
Why is it that The Catalyst regularly publishes paid advertisements for
weight control services in the community that are in direct competition
with MUSC Weight Management Center? Answer: The
ads in The Catalyst are sold by the publisher of the paper, Island
Publications. They retain all proceeds from the advertisements, which
in turn, are used to fully fund the cost of publishing the newspaper.
The university does impose certain restrictions on advertisements,
given MUSC's responsibilities as an educational institution and a
health care provider (e.g., no advertising of tobacco or alcohol
products).

Bonus pay?
I have heard that top MUSC executives received cash bonuses this year,
despite MUSC employees being cut and having had to take furlough days.
Is this true? Answer: This
rumor is untrue. There were no bonuses given to the top MUSC executives
(president and vice presidents). To the contrary, they took additional
furlough days and did not receive raises for the past two years. In an
effort to link pay to performance, many of the deans and department
chairs have “at risk” portions of their compensation. They receive or
do not receive this portion of their pay based upon their performance
against predetermined benchmarks. These are part of the annual base
salary and are not bonuses.

McKesson Project
The rumor is that the huge project where McKesson would develop a new
patient data system to replace Keane has been thrown out due to
McKesson being unable to deliver a working product. Is it true? Answer: This
is not true. The project was delayed until the end of the year.

Clinical associate
positions
Is it true that the hospital will not hire clinical associates (CA)
anymore? Answer: The
CA position was reclassified to patient care technician (PCT) II in
January 2009. The inpatient units continue to hire PCT II position(s).
In the fall 2009, a new staffing model was developed for the clinics to
improve efficiency and optimize outpatient service delivery. This
staffing model, which is aligned with industry best practices, includes
medical office assistant, certified medical assistant and registered
medical assistant. For information contact Lynn Campbell at
campbell@musc.edu.

Potential business
idea
I would love to see a walk-in barber shop/salon and/or nail salon next
to Starbucks in the Ashley River Tower building. Has this ever been
looked into? Answer: Thank
you for the suggestion. It has been sent to the appropriate individuals
in administration. A new barber shop is open at the corner of Ashley
and Cannon streets.

The
Catalyst Online is published weekly by the MUSC Office of Public
Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical
University of South Carolina. The Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn,
can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy
can be submitted to The Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by
fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu.
To
place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at
849-1778, ext. 201.